A weekly outdoor after school program for Kindergarten – 6th graders in Gill, MA
(right across the street from the Gill Elementary School)
Mondays afternoons
Jan 23rd – May 15th
Jan/Feb: 3:20 (3:10 for Gill Elementary Students) – 5:00
March – May: 3:20 (3:10 for Gill Elementary Students) – 5:30
(we will not meet on school holidays or vacation weeks)
Program Description
This program brings together nature appreciation, social and emotional support and (creative) movement. We’ll begin with 40 minutes for children to arrive and decompress after school. After gathering to have a snack, children can choose from a variety of active and restful activities including running around and exploring the land, visiting with small farm animals, working on art projects and chatting with friends. We’ll gather at the at 4 to practice a robust and active warm-up to get our blood moving and our bodies bouncing to the rhythm of familiar tunes. Then we’ll begin to explore the land. This last exploration time is very open ended and child-driven and often includes jumping on a trampoline, trips to a nearby stream, exploring all the ways our bodies can move and play together with other kids and with the environments we are in. No dance experience is necessary to participate!
This site is not wheelchair accessible and does require that participants navigate unpaved terrain, and season specific things like ice, snow, bugs, and all kinds of weather. We will meet rain or shine! Our new dance space has a roof and screens protection so there will be some relief from rain and bugs! But having weather appropriate clothing is a essential!
Schedule
Winter Schedule (January – February)
3:10 – 3:20: Gill Elementary students will be met at Gill Elementary and walked to the program site
3:20 – 4:00: Snack and free time. Students coming from other towns may arrive at any time during this period.
4:00 – 4:30: Organized dancing time
4:30 – 5:00: Camp Fire! (Unless we’ve gone on a walking adventure! In which case we will arrive back at the home camp at 5:00).
Spring Schedule (March – May)
3:10 – 3:20: Gill Elementary students will be met at Gill Elementary and walked to the program site
3:20 – 4:00: Snack and free time. Students coming from other towns may arrive at any time during this period.
4:00 – 4:45: Organized dancing time
4:45 – 5:30: Child-driven activities and free play
Payment
The cost of the program is a sliding scale of $190 – $520. Payments can be made monthly, in two parts or in Full. Barters, scholarships are available upon request.